Black America’s Ridiculous Obsession with “Light-Skinned” Black Women

For those who are not familiar with the inner workings of African American culture, it may be surprising to learn that black people don’t have much love for black women with dark complexion. I’m not talking about black women with the complexion of oven baked peanut butter cookies. I’m talking about black coffee—no sugar, no cream—black women.

Black skin of the darker hue is one of the most absurdly gorgeous physical features a human being can possess. Nevertheless, dark black women have been treated worse than wet food stamps for decades. And the majority of their mistreatment has come from the “brothers” and “sisters” who are supposed to love and appreciate them more than anyone else. Clearly, black folks show love in the most dysfunctional of ways.

Interestingly, this type of intra-racism doesn’t affect black men. While black women with dark skin are considered less desirable and appealing, darker toned black men are considered “sexy chocolate.” Darker black men don’t appear to have it any harder than lighter black men with regards to discrimination and inter/intra-racism.

Meanwhile, darker black women are told they are ugly by their black peers and they have to listen to the stinging words of black men who openly express their distaste for dating dark black women.

These very same black men worship lighter black women as if they are heaven-sent goddesses and these men would give their first born just for the privilege to smell a lighter black woman’s flatulence.

It’s no wonder many darker toned black women harbor a negative self-esteem complex that affects every aspect of their lives.

Without question, black America treats lighter hued black women like they’re superior to darker black women. As a black man, I find this preferential treatment disgusting, embarrassing, and shameful. Especially when, more than ever before, black folks are claiming to have so much black pride. It reeks of hypocrisy when we espouse how “pro-black” we are while simultaneously denigrating one of the fundamental elements of our blackness.

Adding to the rotten pile of hypocrisy, it should be noted that African Americans often accuse black republicans of being ‘self-haters’ simply because of political affiliations. Or they’ll accuse a fellow black peer of being a self-hater if that person “talks white.” These phony civil-rights activists are hurling self-hater accusations that are actually more applicable to themselves because the majority of them despise dark black skin and the natural texture of black hair. What a confused, misguided group.

In a society where racial tensions are high and non-blacks are often accused of being racist, it’s interesting to note that white people frequently express their appreciation for dark black women more so than black people themselves. Consider Lupita Nyong’o, as an example. After Nyong’o’s breakout performance in 12 Years a Slave, white people were praising her all over broadcast and social media.

Not only did they applaud her acting chops, but they also did something black people rarely do: They praised the beauty of a black woman who has natural black hair, traditional African features, and a dark skin tone. If blacks did that more often, maybe there would be a greater number of confident black women who looked at their blackness as an asset—rather than an impediment—and who wouldn’t be afraid to aim for the highest levels of success.

To make the Nyong’o situation even more shameful, many African Americans made efforts to dispute the acclaim she was receiving. While the rest of the world was commending Nyong’o, countless blacks were busy trying to tear her down.

All over social media, black people called Nyong’o unattractive and unworthy of the praise she was receiving. Through pictures, memes, and posts, they compared her to lighter black women to “prove” how inferior she was in comparison. These black people were sincerely agitated and dumbfounded because a chocolate sister with non-Eurocentric features was getting so much attention.

I’m not suggesting there’s anything wrong with having a personal preference. I’m simply asserting that there’s no reason black America’s preference for lighter toned black women should be so one-sided. The antipathy African Americans have for their own skin is beyond comprehension.

The situation becomes even more inexplicable when one considers the fact that blacks are using the exact color based discrimination tactics that racists used against blacks during slavery, Jim Crow, and that some people continue to use today. Using the enemy’s playbook against yourself is a guaranteed means of stifling success and prosperity. Sadly, that’s exactly what black America is doing.

The preferential treatment towards black people with fairer skin dates back to slavery. Back then, the lighter blacks often got to chill in the big house while the darker blacks toiled in the fields. Perhaps the racist remnants of a post-slavery society are still shaping black America’s views regarding skin tone.

In other words, modern black people could possibly be brainwashed by white America’s conception of beauty. While this is a possibility, I think it’s a lame excuse. I have a hard time believing African Americans are mentally weak enough to allow white people—or anybody else—to shape black America’s conception of their own skin. Or maybe I’m the fool and modern black people are more impressionable and lacking in mental independence than I realized.

I sincerely believe dark black women are devastatingly gorgeous and I don’t understand why the rest of black America doesn’t see it that way. I’ve even questioned the sexuality of men who claim they aren’t attracted to dark sisters because I honestly can’t fathom how a heterosexual man could deny the beauty of chocolate women. It truly baffles me. In the same vein, I’ve always questioned the sanity of black women who think of themselves as anything other than breathtaking.